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Topic: octopus causes havoc (Read 2252 times)

""We knew that he was bored as the aquarium is closed for winter, and at two feet, seven inches Otto had discovered he was big enough to swing onto the edge of his tank and shoot out a the 2000 Watt spot light above him with a carefully directed jet of water."

At our local aquarium, they started having a problem with fish disappearing from exhibits. They set up cameras to see what was happening and found that the Giant Pacific Octopus they had was escaping at night, out the top of his tank, then breaking into the other tanks, eating the inhabitants, and then returning to his own tank. They tried to secure his tank, but succeeded only in locking him out when he escaped the next time, and he died. I must admit that it made me chuckle to see the words "Exhibit Under Construction" over the octopus tank in the wake of that little fiasco.

""We knew that he was bored as the aquarium is closed for winter, and at two feet, seven inches Otto had discovered he was big enough to swing onto the edge of his tank and shoot out a the 2000 Watt spot light above him with a carefully directed jet of water."

Could be the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, or the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I recall hearing a similar story. Another, involving the shark tank. They had mixed in some octopuses, figuring they'd be smart enough to hide from the sharks.

They were right, but were rather surprised when some of the sharks started dissapearing.

Logged

Give a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

I would be nice to see these creatures after about 5 million years to see what they evolve into.

I wonder about that, too. Evolution isn't linear, so there's no reason to expect them to become more intelligent as a species over time unless that intelligence is selected for. Maybe that selection pressure exists, maybe not. Tentacled mollusks have been around since the pre-Cambrian, and the smartest species of mollusk alive today is the octopus. Primates have only been around for between 65 and 85 million years, and that basic 'model' produced humans.

I would be nice to see these creatures after about 5 million years to see what they evolve into.

I wonder about that, too. Evolution isn't linear, so there's no reason to expect them to become more intelligent as a species over time unless that intelligence is selected for. Maybe that selection pressure exists, maybe not. Tentacled mollusks have been around since the pre-Cambrian, and the smartest species of mollusk alive today is the octopus. Primates have only been around for between 65 and 85 million years, and that basic 'model' produced humans.

Well they got tentacles which means with the proper development, they could use them to build things. If they evolve at all.

I once debated with someone who thought that apes were going to evolve into something as sentient as us in the future. I called bullshit on that.

Yeah, octupi should be able to evolve more intelligence. I'm just skeptical about whether they definitely would do so if left to their own devices. They've had an awful long time to get this far. For all we know, their evolutionary development has reached a plateau in their natural habitat.

Yeah, octupi should be able to evolve more intelligence. I'm just skeptical about whether they definitely would do so if left to their own devices. They've had an awful long time to get this far. For all we know, their evolutionary development has reached a plateau in their natural habitat.

Or it could have been slowed because of the habitat. Land dwelling creatures have a lot more to look at and think about. Also, in the sea, there is food everywhere. Humans, had to learn how to manage food.

I would be nice to see these creatures after about 5 million years to see what they evolve into.

I wonder about that, too. Evolution isn't linear, so there's no reason to expect them to become more intelligent as a species over time unless that intelligence is selected for. Maybe that selection pressure exists, maybe not. Tentacled mollusks have been around since the pre-Cambrian, and the smartest species of mollusk alive today is the octopus. Primates have only been around for between 65 and 85 million years, and that basic 'model' produced humans.

Cuttlefish might have an edge with their amazing communication abilities.They're advantaged by having large brains, and the need to actively outsmart the predators.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x-8v1mxpR0[/youtube] 2:33

Almost every aquarium curator that keeps cephalopods can tell you stories about them. The shark tank incident is a more famous one, though that was a separate story and did not happen at the Birch.

Sota,

If squid figure out that humans are edible underneath their wetsuits, they could make the ocean a VERY unpleasant place to be.

Nihilanth,

Your statement here is totally absurd. Let everyone read this and see the dangers associated with people that have little to no understanding of biology engaging in speculation about evolutionary history and future.